How to Live a Healthy, Happy Life
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It’s an age-old question: What’s the secret to happiness?
At Thorne, we believe happiness and health are two sides of the same coin, and we work to deliver quality recommendations on how to live a healthy, happy life.
It’s more important now than ever before to think about how to live a healthy, happy life. But with so many online resources available, it is difficult to know where to start. We’re here to help you renew your health journey, by looking at steps you can take today – and every day – to unlock happy, healthy living.
1. Define what happiness is for you. As a “pursuit of happiness” exercise, sit down and list on a piece of paper the things that answer the following question: What brings you joy? Think about people, activities, and places. Then write down ways you can incorporate these items on your list into your everyday life. Think about how to live a healthy happy life with these “happiness items” in mind. This exercise is an opportunity to reflect on and connect with your past, present, and future self. We’ll call this list “happiness goals.”
2. Find a sense of community or belonging. Humans are social creatures, and research on how to live a healthy, happy life shows that interacting with others improves our mental and physical health. Loneliness is linked with stress and perceived unhappiness, and a “significant association” exists between loneliness and a suppression of immune responses.1 Without a sense of community, many feel lonely and isolated. Loneliness is considered a “modern-day epidemic,” with some estimates reporting that more than one-third of U.S. adults say they are lonely most of the time.2 Around the world, governments are looking into the solutions for loneliness, with the United Kingdom and Japan going so far as to appoint special ministers for loneliness to address social isolation, particularly among the elderly.
So, what can you do today? Return to your list of happiness goals and for each one, think about how you can build a sense of belonging with others. Although building a community around in-person social interaction has been shown to have the strongest effect on reducing loneliness, it’s important not to limit your idea of community to face-to-face meetings. Studies on young adults and the elderly have shown the Internet – and social media in particular – can be a useful tool for reducing social isolation.3 Virtual social spaces can be a complementary step toward happy, healthy living.
3. Volunteer and perform random acts of kindness. If you’re not sure how to find community with your list of happiness goals, then turn to the community around you. Volunteering in your community can help you feel good about yourself, with the added bonus of benefiting the world around you. Data shows that individuals who spend more hours in volunteer service report greater well-being in not just happiness, but also life satisfaction, physical health, and self-esteem.4,5
Unable to find organized volunteer work in your area? Think about ways to carry out random acts of kindness. Something as simple as holding the door for someone or complimenting a stranger on the street. Achieving a happy, healthy life means doing something good for yourself by doing something good for others.
4. Practice gratitude. We have written previously about how being grateful helps us cultivate a sense of contentment, which is key to learning how to live a happy and healthy life. Research is finding links between expressing gratitude and the brain structures associated with social bonding, reward, and stress relief.6,7
In short, expressing gratitude helps you be content and happy in the present moment, improving your mental well-being on the way to supporting a healthier you.
5. Exercising regularly. You knew this was coming. It’s no secret that exercise makes us healthier and helps us live longer: Data shows that highly active U.S. adults have a 9-year biological advantage over sedentary adults in the same demographics.8 But exercise also makes us happier. Walking and other moderate aerobic exercises helps stabilize your mood and ease depressive symptoms. Studies have also found that regular exercise helps people control stress better and regulate their emotions.9 In one study, researchers concluded that achieving physical activity recommendations – regardless of the amount of time spent being sedentary – lowered the risk of depressive symptoms in adults.10
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, then you can incorporate exercise into your day with small steps – no pun intended. Something as simple as a short walk – try 15 minutes today – can help make a difference.
6. Eat nutritious foods. Most of us eat what is called the “Standard American Diet”: it’s high in unhealthy carbs and fats and low in fresh fruits and vegetables. Worldwide, traditional diets are being replaced with typical Western diets, a trend that is leading to adverse health outcomes and lower life expectancies. A 2008 study of dietary patterns in 52 countries found that the Western diet – higher intake of fried foods, salty snacks, eggs, and meat – accounted for 30 percent of the worldwide heart attack risk.11
Living a happy, healthy long life could mean rethinking your dinner plate. Seek out fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and lean protein sources, such as fish and poultry. Cut out fried foods, refined carbs, sugary desserts, sweetened beverages, and processed meats. For inspiration, check out the Mediterranean diet, which is based on the traditional foods eaten in the regions around the Mediterranean Sea. Why the Mediterranean? Because researchers have identified specific sites in countries like Greece and Italy as “blue zones,” or places with a higher proportion of people live to be 100 and older. Their diets – full of fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish, and vegetables (and a little bit of red wine) – are key areas of interest for individuals looking to live a long life.
7. Ensure you’re getting essential nutrients. Many of us have either dietary restrictions or lifestyles that limit our ability to attain all the necessary nutrients to support a happy healthy life. These limitations can cause us to not get key nutrients. For example, vitamin D is an essential nutrient that supports bone and muscle structure, immune function, and more.* Although the body is capable of making its own vitamin D when we’re exposed to the sun, many of us fall short in getting our daily recommended amount of vitamin D. Where you live, how old you are, and even the amount of melanin in your skin can impact the body’s ability to synthesize an adequate amount of vitamin D.
This is where supplements can be beneficial to help us meet our nutrient goals on the way to happy, healthy living. Whether it’s a daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement to add to your dietary baseline or an individual vitamin or mineral supplement to target a nutrient deficiency, getting enough of the right nutrients will support your goal to achieve a healthy happy life.
8. Focus on sleep. Do you struggle to get the proper amount of sleep each night? You’re not alone. More than 40 percent of U.S. adults sleep less than the recommended amount, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Not getting enough sleep is associated with a decrease in immune function and many long-term adverse health issues. If you have trouble sleeping or are chronically sleep deprived, then think about what might be sabotaging your sleep and establish a routine to correct the problems. Be mindful of brighter lights around bedtime – including the effects of blue light from computer, television, and phone screens.
Internally, your hormones might be disrupting your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin prepares your body for sleep, while cortisol is associated with “fight or flight” wakefulness. Although the levels of these two hormones naturally fluctuate throughout the day as part of your circadian rhythm, this natural cycle can be disrupted by elevated stress levels. You can measure your sleep-related hormones by taking Thorne’s at-home Sleep Test; the results include a personalized wellness plan to help you find restful sleep on the way to happy, healthy living.
9. Take a health test. For those of you who are science savvy, recording your body’s biomarker data is another tip on living a happy healthy life. Shine some light on what’s really going on inside your body. Knowing your health information can ease your mind and give you motivation to improve health factors as needed. Changes in lifestyle approaches are key times to take a health test. If you are trying a new diet or fitness plan, trying to get pregnant, or wanting an advanced look at your body’s health status, then an at-home health test kit can provide deeper insights to help you along your journey, whatever your goals are. Thorne offers a variety of easy-to-use health test kits that will give you the insights you need on how to live a healthy happy life. All test results include personalized recommendations for dietary, supplement, and lifestyle habits based on your unique results.
10. Practice easing your mind. Stress and anxious feelings can weigh on the body, leading to unhealthy habits like stress eating. Stress can cause an increase in the adrenal hormone cortisol, which can increase heart rate and blood pressure. While there is no simple switch for turning off feelings of stress, taking time to practice easing your mind can help your body re-evaluate how it handles stress.
Now you know some easy steps on how to live a healthy happy life. If you want to go deeper on health and wellness issues that are important to you, then check out our previous Take 5 Daily blog posts, or let us know by messaging us – @ThorneHealth – on Instagram and Facebook what health topics you want us to cover.
Don’t forget to check out Thorne Health Advisor for consultations on your health goals. Get started today by completing your health profile to jumpstart your journey to a healthy, happy life.
References
- Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Speicher CE, Holliday JE. Stress, loneliness, and changes in herpesvirus latency. J Behav Med 1985;8(3):249-260.
- Weissbourd R, Batanova M, Lovison V, Torres E. Loneliness in America: how the pandemic has deepened an epidemic of loneliness and what we can do about it. Making Caring Common Project 2021. https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/loneliness-in-america [Accessed Feb. 20, 2023]
- Lelkes O. Happier and less isolated: internet use in old age. J Pov and Soc Just 2013;21(1):33-46.
- Thoits PA, Hewitt LN. Volunteer work and well-being. J Health Soc Behav 2001:42(2):115-131.
- Lima PAB, Mariano EB. Volunteer work and happiness: A systematic literature review with sustainable development approach. Latin Am J Manage Sustain Dev 2020;5(1):17-36.
- Fox GR, Kaplan J, Damasio H, Damasio A. Neural correlates of gratitude. Front Psychol 2015;6:1491.
- Kyeong S, Kim J, Kim DJ, et al. Effects of gratitude meditation on neural network functional connectivity and brain-heart coupling. Sci Rep 2017;7(1):5058.
- Tucker L. Physical activity and telomere length in U.S. men and women: An NHANES investigation. Prev Med 2017;100:145-151.
- Bernstein EE, McNally RJ. Acute aerobic exercise helps overcome regulation deficits. Cogn Emot 2017;31:834-843.
- Liao Y, Shibata A, Ishii K, Oka K. Independent and combined associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with depressive symptoms among Japanese adults. Int J Behav Med 2016;23(4):402-409.
- Iqbal R, Anand S, Ounpuu S, et al. INTERHEART Study Investigators. Dietary patterns and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in 52 countries: results of the INTERHEART study. Circulation 2008;118(19):1929-1937.